Propovednik 12
1 Ali opominji se tvorca svojega u mladosti svojoj prije nego doðu dani zli i prispiju godine, za koje æeš reæi: nijesu mi mile;
While you are still young, keep thinking about [God], who created you. Do that before [you are old] and you experience many troubles, during the years when you say “I no [longer] enjoy being alive.”
2 Prije nego pomrkne sunce i vidjelo i mjesec i zvijezde, i opet doðu oblaci iza dažda,
[When you become old], the light from the sun and moon and stars will [seem] dim [to you], and [it will seem that the rain] clouds [always] return [quickly] after it rains.
3 Kad æe drktati stražari kuæni i pognuti se junaci, i stati mlinarice, što ih je malo, i potamnjeti koji gledaju kroz prozore,
Then your [arms that you use to protect] [MET] your bodies will shake/tremble, and your [legs that support] [MET] your bodies will become weak. Many of your [teeth that you use to] grind/chew [your food] will fall out, and your [eyes that you use to] look out of windows will not see clearly.
4 I kad æe se zatvoriti vrata s ulice, i oslabiti zveka od mljevenja, i kad æe se ustajati na ptièji glas i prestati sve pjevaèice,
Your [ears] [MET] will not hear the noise in the streets, and you will not be able to hear clearly the sound of people grinding grain with millstones. You will be awakened in the morning by hearing the birds singing/chirping, [but] you will not be able to hear well the songs that (the birds/people) sing.
5 I visokoga mjesta kad æe se bojati i strašiti se na putu, kad æe badem ucvjetati i skakavac otežati i želja proæi, jer èovjek ide u kuæu svoju vjeènu, i pokajnice æe hoditi po ulicama;
You will be afraid to be in high places and afraid of dangers on the roads that you walk on. [Your hair] will become [white like] [MET] the flowers of almond trees. [When you try to walk], you will drag yourself along like [MET] grasshoppers, and you will no longer desire [to have sex]. Then you will [die and] go to your eternal home, and people who will mourn for you will be in the streets.
6 Prije nego se prekine uže srebrno, èaša se zlatna razbije i raspe se vijedro na izvoru i slomi se toèak na studencu,
[Think much about God now, because] soon our lives will end, [like] [MET] silver chains or golden bowls that break easily, or like pitchers/jugs that are broken at the water fountain, or like broken pulleys at a well.
7 I vrati se prah u zemlju, kako je bio, a duh se vrati k Bogu, koji ga je dao.
Then our corpses will [decay and] become dirt again, and our spirits will return to God, the one who gave us our spirits.
8 Taština nad taštinama, veli propovjednik, sve je taština.
[So] I say [again] that it is difficult to understand why everything happens; everything is mysterious.
9 A ne samo mudar bijaše propovjednik, nego još i narod uèaše mudrosti, i motreæi i istražujuæi složi mnogo prièa.
I was considered to be a very wise man, and I taught the people many things. I assembled/collected and wrote down many proverbs, and I carefully thought about and studied them.
10 Staraše se propovjednik da naðe ugodne rijeèi, i napisa što je pravo, rijeèi istine.
I searched for the right words, and what I have written is reliable and true.
11 Rijeèi su mudrijeh ljudi kao žalci i kao klini udareni; rijeèi onijeh koji ih složiše dao je jedan pastir.
The things that [I and other] wise people say [teach people what they should do]; they are like [SIM] (goads/sharp sticks that people use to strike animals to direct where they should go). They are like [SIM] nails that stick out of pieces of wood. They are given to us by [God, who is like] [MET] our shepherd.
12 I tako, sine moj, èuvaj se onoga što je preko ovoga, jer nema kraja sastavljanju mnogih knjiga, i mnogo èitanje umor je tijelu.
[So], my son, pay careful attention to what I have written, and choose carefully what you read that others have written, [because] writing proverbs/books is endless, and [trying to] study them all will cause you to become exhausted.
13 Glavno je svemu što si èuo: Boga se boj, i zapovijesti njegove drži, jer to je sve èovjeku.
[Now] you have heard all [that I have told you], and here is the conclusion: Revere God, and obey his commandments, because those commandments summarize everything that people should do.
14 Jer æe svako djelo Bog iznijeti na sud i svaku tajnu, bila dobra ili zla.
And do not forget that God will judge everything that we do, good things and bad things, [even] things that we do secretly.
